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Mozambique

Three years ago Kayana found patches on her legs with no sensation & when a wound didn’t heal she was told by her local health volunteer that leprosy is completely curable. Kayana can now plan her future. Pray for those in her village scared to seek help due to the stigma & discrimination.

Kayana lives in a rural area with her family. Three years ago she discovered patches on her legs that had no sensation. When she developed a wound that would not heal she approached the local health volunteer, who told her that leprosy is completely curable. Kayana is now able to plan her future. Pray for others in Kayana’s village who may be scared to come forward due to the stigma and discrimination surrounding leprosy.

59-year-old Armando lives in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique. Tragedy struck his family when disease took the lives of his wife and three of his children, leaving Armando consumed by grief. At the same time he was diagnosed with leprosy. However, Armando was offered a place at a ‘farming school’ and is now able to earn an income by growing cassava, pigeon peas, and peanuts. Pray that more people in Mozambique will be helped through this project that works to improve the livelihoods and food security of vulnerable people.

Praise God for the growing numbers of Mwani who choose to follow Jesus. In Quissanga there have been three more baptisms this year and we pray the group would be urged by God's Spirit to reach out to family and friends in other areas. Pray that they will remain strong in their faith.

Please give thanks for the public awareness event held in a small village in Mozambique, when 15 of the 30 people who came forward with skin lesions were diagnosed with leprosy. This means they can be cured because they had an early diagnosis. Pray that they will be a good example to others who may be too afraid to come forward because of stigma or adverse reaction from within their communities and that leprosy medicines would arrive quickly.

Praise God for the baptism of new believers at the end of last year in Pemba. Pray also for the growing number of believers in areas like Quissanga and Ibo Island. Lift up these new believers into God’s care as workers leave. Pray for God to raise up and strengthen local leadership.

Give thanks for the leprosy control work being carried out in Mozambique, which will diminish the leprosy disease burden, prevent leprosy complications and ensure that people affected by leprosy will have access to quality diagnostic and treatment services. Pray that this will also help reintegration into mainstream society and improve quality of life for leprosy-affected people. Please pray that awareness about leprosy will be increased through the training of healthcare workers and through radio messages and other health education opportunities.

There are still parts of the world where it’s a real event to have a gospel in your own ‘heart language’. Across the world thousands of blind people receive Braille and giant print material produced by Torch Trust. Pray that as people in Mozambique receive God’s word via accessible means such as Braille and solar powered audio bibles, that these materials will be as food and strength as they are read and shared with others.

The Yao are a predominantly Muslim people group spread across Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. In Malawi a number of church-planting pastors from the Zambezi Evangelical Church are seeking to reach out to the Yao with the truth of the gospel. They are planning to lend ‘Megavoice’ talking New Testaments in Yao language to individuals or family groups who are curious to hear about Jesus. The pastors will then follow up by asking or answering further questions. Please pray that through this initiative many Yao people would come to know Jesus.

While the many and varied natural resources of Mozambique are starting to impact the country, the major challenge for the government is to be sure that all the population benefit. With national elections only months away, pray for the country, its people and its government, that there will be peace and justice for all and that the church will continue to have a positive influence.

Brother Jacob* would hear the muffled gunshots coming from somewhere in the prison complex in Mozambique and think that it could be his turn tomorrow. He prayed "Father, please tell your children around the world to pray for me." He explains how one day he found a short message, hidden in a rice bowl by local Christians who visited him in prison. It said that brothers and sisters around the world were praying for him. He says "It was a tremendous assurance of God's faithfulness – to me and to my family. It encouraged me greatly. Oh, how I could rest in the knowledge and comfort of those prayers, regardless of what tomorrow would bring." *Name changed

Mozambique was severely affected by a civil war that lasted 15 years and resulted in a million deaths and five million displaced people. Neighbouring countries like landlocked Malawi were also badly affected. The war ended when a peace accord was signed in 1992. Renewed violence has flared up recently between the governing FRELIMO party and opposition group RENAMO which has withdrawn from the peace accord, opening up the possibility of renewed conflict. Inequity associated with Mozambique’s extensive mineral resources seems to be a factor. Please pray for equity and constructive dialogue and that the Lord would intervene in this situation, so that peace and stability in that country may continue.

Lift up to the Lord the work of the Association of Leprosy Affected People in Mozambique (ALEMO) as The Leprosy Mission (TLM) supports them to raise their voice and profile in the community; to educate people about leprosy and advocate for inclusion. Pray that God will give them the knowledge to do this effectively and that ALEMO members will be equipped as trainers to change the negative self-perceptions of leprosy. Pray that they will be successful at teaching others about leprosy and identifying new cases locally. Ask God for favour to access the right documents quickly so that people can benefit from government welfare schemes. Pray also for TLM Mozambique as they conclude their recording of the Bible in a local language to be played in the community.

The Mwani people live on the north coast of Mozambique. Influenced by sea-faring Arab merchants centuries ago, the culture is defined through fishing and folk Islam. Children go to Madrassa schools. They memorize and can recite the Koran, but they don’t understand its meaning. Most Mwani are illiterate and speak only a bit of Portuguese. Radio Nuru is a Christian FM radio station in the Kimwani language, well-known and loved in many Mwani villages. The Koti were an unreached people group, violently resistant to the gospel. Since 2003, thousands have come to Christ and Koti missionaries are now reaching the Mwani. While Radio Nuru broadcasts the truth about Jesus, the Koti extend the work and sit with the Mwani under the trees, answer questions and give explanations!

The Zambezi Evangelical Church (ZEC) in Mozambique has planted two churches in the city of Tete in north-western Mozambique. The area has an ‘oil rush’ feel to it, with a new coal mine bringing in workers and rising prices. A church-planting pastor usually receives a small monthly allowance for four years to sustains them until their own church has grown enough to support them. However, the high cost of living in Tete has made the situation challenging: one pastor has left his church, and another is struggling in very poor conditions. Please pray for the ZEC Mozambican leaders as they consider their church-planting strategy for Tete, and for strength and encouragement for the remaining pastor there.

Pemba lies on the shore of the Indian Ocean in the northeast part of Mozambique. When Christianity first came to the people of Pemba, money and other materials were used as incentives in order to win converts from Islam. Unfortunately this has remained the expectation of the people, even today. Pray for the church in Pemba which is struggling to make an impact in this difficult environment.

Pemba lies on the shore of the Indian Ocean in the northeast part of Mozambique. When Christianity first came to the people of Pemba, money and other materials were used as incentives in order to win converts from Islam. Unfortunately this has remained the expectation of the people, even today. Pray for the church in Pemba which is struggling to make an impact in this difficult environment.